Furnace.



3 SESETB-SHEET 1.

J. D. SWINDBLL.

PURNACE. ArPLIoATIoN FILED APn.zo,1a1o. 1,021,342. 4 Patented Mar.26,1912.

Allorney jN VEN T 0R l NESSES I. D. SWINDELL.

PURNAOE.

APPLICATION FILED 1211.20, 1910.

Patentedy Mar. 26, 19112.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

V NESSE;

INI/EN T 0R i n Allomey cnLUMulA PLANOdl/AFM C0. wAsmNn'roN. n. c.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

3 SHEETS--BHEIIT 3.

Adame] J. D. SWINDELL.

FURNAOE.

APPLICATION FILED APB. 20,1910.

WITNESSES Y z2/mgm UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE. l

JAMES D. SWINDELL, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

FURNACE.

T0 all 'whom t may concern Be it known that I, JAMES D. Sw1NDnLL,of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnaces; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in furnaces and more particularly to such as are adapted for use for fusing and melting vanadium and other metals,-the object of the invention being to provide a furnace of the type specified with the use of which the fusing and melting of the metal can be effectually and quickly accomplished and to so construct the furnace that it can be built at a comparatively small cost and easily controlled.

With this object in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a furnace embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view. Fig. 3 is a transverse section, and Fig. 4 is an end View.

1 represents the body portion of the furnace supported by a suitable framework comprising girders 3 and having formed therein a melting chamber 4 provided in its wall with slag gates 5 and metal gates 6. At one end of the melting chamber and communicating at its lower end therewith, is a vertically disposed fusing chamber 7. The wall of the fusing chamber 7 is provided at its upper end with a series of ports 8 which connect said chamber with a chamber 9 formed by a curved wall 10 spaced a short distance from the wall of said chamber 7 and the chamber 9 communicates with a flue 11. Portions of the gas from the fusing chamber 7 can escape through the ports 8 into the chamber 9 and from the latter, through the flue or stack 11 to the atmosphere. A hopper 12 is located above the fusing chamber and communicates with the latter for supplying ore miXed with chemicals to the furnace, and to regulate this supply of ore, a suitable feed device 13 is provided in the outlet of the hopper 12. At the opposite end of the furnace structure, two

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led April 20, 1910.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

Serial No. 556,640.

vertical air chambers 14 are located and provided therein with checker work 15, such as commonly employed in regenerative furnaces. Flues 16 are located between the air chambers 14 and communicate with the latter and with one end of the melting chamber at respective sides of the longitudinal center of the latter. Gas, inlets 17 communicate with the respective flues 16 for discharging natural or other gas into the latter to commingle with the air passing through said lues 16 and the commingled air and gas will be discharged from the end 18 of one or the other flue 16 and burned within the melting chamber 4. The lower ends of the air cham- 4 bers 14, communicate by means of flues` 19 with a valve casing 20, into the upper end of which, air will be permitted to enter and the amount of air regulated by a movable cover 21 at the upper or inlet end of said casing 20. The valve casing 20 also communicates with a stack flue 22. Located within the casing 2O is a valve 23 adapted to be controlled by means of a lever 24 to cause air to pass through one or the other of the fines 19 and the return products of combustion to pass through the other flue 19 to the stack flue 22.

From the construction and arrangement of parts above described, it will be observed that air entering the valve casing 20 will pass through one or the other of the lues 19 to the lower end ofone of the heating chambers 14 and from the latter through one of the flues 16 to the melting chamber, where it will be discharged, mixed with gas entering at 17, and this mixed air and gas burned within said melting furnace. Suflicient heat and products of combustion will enter the vertical fusing chamber to effect the fusing of the ore therein and surplus gases and products of combustion will be discharged from the upper end of said fusing chamber in the manner previously explained. The products of combustion (or rather the major portion thereof) will leave the melting chamber 4 through the other flue 16 and be conducted by the latter to the upper end of the other air chamber 14,--through which it will pass downwardly (heating the checker work therein) and escape through one of the lues 19 and be directed by the valve 23 to the stack flue. The heating chamber 14 through which the products of combustion have thus passed, will be heated and then by reversing the position of the valve 23 the air will be caused to pass through this heated chamber and enter the melting chamber mixed with gas, in a heated condition.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is,-

A furnace structure comprising a hori- Zontal melting furnace provided at one end with air and gas inlets and outlets, a vertical fusing furnace at the opposite end of the melting furnace and partially separated from the latter by a vertical wall which terminates at its lower end above the bottom of said furnaces whereby a means of communication is afforded between the lower portions of said furnaces, said fusing furnace having ports in its wall near its upper end permanently open to the atmosphere, and charging means communicating with the top of the fusing furnace above said ports.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES D. SWINDELL.

Witnesses:

CI-IAs. L. OTT, A. M. WooDwoRTH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

